The reviews are sorted alphabetically by authors' last name -- one or more pages for each letter (plus one for Mc).
All but some recent reviews are listed here. Links to those reviews appear on the
Recent Feature Review Page.

Astronomy by Richard Wadholmreviewed by Lisa DuMond
Everything about this debut novel recalls the dime novels of the early part of the 20th century. Tough and tender babes. Villainous foes.
Strong, silent heroes. Pure good versus evil stuff. Now, instead of "penny dreadfuls" you can
get all the action via ebook -- not a bad idea, not bad at all.

Nekropolis by Tim Waggonerreviewed by Bonnie L. Norman
Matt Richter is good at doing favors for people. A former cop, he's good at finding things out and making
people talk. He's also very, very dead. As the only self-willed zombie in the alternate dimension where the
haven city of Nekropolis is built, he's something of an oddity even among the strange, weird, dangerous,
and creepy citizens that make their home there.

Necropolis by Tim Waggonerreviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Matthew Adrion was a cop on Earth until he and his partner followed a suspect through a magical portal and ended up at Necropolis,
where Vampires, Lycanthropes, demons and every other creature famous for going bump in the night have decided to make their
home. Created by the five Dark Lords, its light source, Umbriel (sort of a stationary moon that stays constant in the sky) needs to
be renewed every year through a ceremony where they unite their considerable powers.

One Nation Under George by Z.M. Wagnerreviewed by Nathan Brazil
The book includes satirical inventions
that are, at turns, amusing and subtly terrifying, but these are floating around holes big enough to swallow a politician's ego. The premise
is that the author is writing his personal take on the history of the last few years in America, from the jaundiced perspective of
2008. This alternate future history includes a great many uncomfortably close parallels to real world events, and what may happen
in the "Land of the Free," if liberty is crushed by anti-terror legislation.

The Divided by Katie Waitmanreviewed by Victoria Strauss
The author has crafted a gripping, thought-provoking, emotionally compelling novel. It's a considerable
change of pace from her semi-comic Bildungsroman-like debut, The Merro Tree.

The Merro Tree by Katie Waitmanreviewed by Lisa DuMond
Visions of the future vary as widely as daydreams, but there is one
thing we all seem to hope for our world: tolerance. On the surface, that
doesn't appear to be too much to ask. But, with a multitude of races,
the universe of this novel offers a convincing argument that no magic cure
is on the way to save us from our worst selves.

Return to the Centre of the Earth by Rick Wakemana music review by A.L. Sirois
The album tells the story of three explorers seeking to retrace the steps of
Verne's intrepid voyager, Professor Lidenbrock, from the 1864 novel.
Lidenbrock got into trouble trying to follow after Arne Saknussemm, and
these guys do too. Wakeman's chosen some outstanding talent to help him,
foremost among them Patrick Stewart as narrator. It's also fun listening to
Ozzy Osbourne wailing about being buried alive...

A Lovecraft Retrospective edited by Jerad Waltersreviewed by Stephen M. Davis
The book weighs in, according to the U.S. Postal Service, at 14 pounds. And it seems
at least 13 pounds of that is Lovecraft-inspired madness, running the spectrum from the black-and-white Weird
Tales interior illustrations to
a digitally manipulated collage created in 2007. This makes a nice 80-year period of art inspired by a man whose fiction
influenced many writers and who has been loathed by at least as many writers of fiction and criticism for all of those years.

The Jedi Path by Daniel Wallacereviewed by Charlene Brusso
It comes in a black cardboard box, and weighs just shy of 5 lbs. Open the box, unpack the thing inside,
and you have the "vault," a slightly smaller box of gray and silver plastic with beveled corners,
about the size of an old-fashioned family bible. The front is decorated with images from that very first
film: Tatooine's twin suns, solar discs intersecting like a Venn diagram, and hands -- undoubtedly
Luke's -- raising a light saber in a salute. Press the black semicircle at the bottom and you hear the
hiss of a pressure equalizing as the top splits into two panels that spread apart, like an ancient
tomb, Indiana-Jones style. A palette within rises, lifting the Book.

Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Droids by Daniel Wallacereviewed by Jonathan Fesmire
After reading Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Droids, Jonathan almost wished these droids
were real. Not all of them, just some. The assassin droids can remain fictional.

The Mabinogion by Lady Charlotte Guest and The Mabinogion Tetraology by Evangeline Waltonreviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Wow! The people at Harper Collins/Voyager really put together a beaut' here, something reminiscent of
the lovely illustrated editions of late Victorian and Edwardian times. A lovely, evocative and eminently readable, if
bowlderized, translation of the 14th century Red Book of Hergest and the late 16th
century "Peniardd M.S." with 50 gorgeous colour plates by Alan Lee make this edition of the Mabinogion a joy
to behold, to read, and the quality of its production make it an edition worthy of a prominent place on anyone's bookshelves.

Among Others by Jo Waltonreviewed by David Soyka
It's an insider's book not just because of the myriad references to such iconic figures as Samuel R. Delany, Philip K.
Dick, Robert A. Heinlein and, big daddy of them all, but perhaps not nearly as hip as it once was since the
Peter Jackson cinematic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings. More importantly, it's the evocation of how you felt
as a teenager in first discovering authors whose extraterrestrial or otherwise fantastical settings somehow seem
to be speaking directly to your awkward, too-smart-for-your-own-good, virginal kid self.

Among Others by Jo Waltonreviewed by Paul Kincaid
Jo Walton's latest novel is already being touted as one of the books of the year. Paul is not about to dissent
from that opinion, except that what most critics have picked out for praise is one of the things that bothers
him about the book, and what excites him about it hardly seems to have been noticed by other reviewers.

Among Others by Jo Waltonreviewed by Rich Horton
Morwenna is a Welsh girl, with an identical twin named Morganna (also
called Mor), and with an involved family history, living in the valleys in South
Wales. But some months before, there was a terrible accident and
Mor's sister dies, while Mor is sufficiently injured that she still uses a cane and walks with pain.
Mor blames her mother for what happened, though somewhat indirectly -- it seems her mother, a somewhat
dreadful and rackety woman is also a magic user, and had plans to became a Dark Queen.

Farthing by Jo Waltonreviewed by Sherwood Smith
Jo Walton's novels are all quite different from one another. If any observation can be made about her work, it is that she has a gift
for taking a familiar storyline and crossing it with an unexpected trope to present something not just new, but that informs and thus
transcends the elements she draws upon.

Tooth and Claw by Jo Waltonreviewed by Sherwood Smith
The ritual of eating a dead dragon, Bon Agornin, is what launches the story. Bon's powerful and demanding son-in-law, the
Illustrious Daverak, takes more than his share for his own family, despite the wishes of Bon and the claims of Bon's other
children, the Blessed Penn, Avan, the brother who works in the city, and the two younger
maiden sisters, Selendra and Haner. Avan decides the next day to institute a lawsuit against Daverak.

The Prize in the Game by Jo Waltonreviewed by Steven H Silver
The author claims her 3rd novel, set in the same
world as her previous books, can be read without recourse to
those books, despite growing out of a brief passage in her debut, The
King's Peace. While it is certainly true that a person can read this book
without previous acquaintance with her world, to do so will leave
the reader with the opinion that its culture is not as fully
detailed as might be indicated by the earlier volumes.

The Amazing Transforming Superhero edited by Terrence R. Wandtkereviewed by Nathan Brazil
The book presents a series of essays analysing the changes to various comic book and movie
super people, in response to the real world. Included are such intriguing diversities as the ultra patriotic, somewhat
jingoistic presentation of the original Captain America, Wonder Woman as both a male fantasy and feminist icon, the
importance of the Thing's Jewish roots, how Batman became the Man of Tomorrow, and the transcreation of Spiderman
from Western to Eastern culture.

Seven Ghosts and One Other by C.E. Wardreviewed by Mario Guslandi
In the era of internet, smartphones and digital technology, it may seem silly and unfashionable to seek
pleasurable shivers by reading ghost stories set either in a long gone past or, at most, in the age of gaslight
lamps and hansom cabs. Yet, classical ghost stories, as the ones penned by a master of the genre such as M.R. James,
continue to fascinate readers from all over the world.

The Genesis Protocol by Dayton Wardreviewed by Kilian Melloy
Science is a method, and technology a means, and their combined application produces advanced tools for the betterment of
humanity. But advances in civilized living come at a cost -- pollution, global warming, disturbed ecological systems. The hope
is that science, a self-correcting discipline, will find a way to correct the abuses and imbalances we have imposed on our
environment, and with the emergence of high-level biotechnology there's a glimmer of hope that we may soon have the means to
fix our self-inflicted problems.

Man Over Mind by Dean S. Warrenreviewed by Lisa DuMond
In the 33rd century, rule by a man/computer hybrid has become a nightmare. Billions seethe,
waiting for the slightest chance to overthrow the Minds that control them and have made life unbearable for centuries.
Until now, no one has come along who has presented any hope for destroying these human brains who join
with the computers to become all-powerful and monstrous in their appetites.

The Court of the Midnight King by Freda Warringtonreviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
For August, a modern day history major, the obsession began with
a movie, Sir Lawrence Olivier's version of Shakespeare's Richard III. She is
spellbound by him, even as her fellow students argue whether he was truly the evil, malformed creature history has named him, or
if, in fact, he was the best king England ever had. That night, she begins to see the story, in a place like ours, but not quite.

Crashed by Robin Wassermanreviewed by Dan Shade
In the future there has been war and terrible poverty. There are, however, an elite few who have the credits to live well.
They have nothing but the finest. America's cities are the refuge of the diseased. No credits, no cure. All of the cities are in various
states of decay. Then there are the CorpCities, owned and operated by corporations. You work for the Corp,
live in Corp housing, and eat Corp food.

Fantastic Futures 13 edited by Robert E. Waters & James R. Strattonreviewed by Dave TruesdaleFantastic Futures 13 is an all-original anthology following in the footsteps of its predecessors, Mermaids 13 and
Apocalypse 13. As the title indicates, there are 13 stories exploring the theme of what we might expect for the future of our
planet, and 13 very different visions are what we get.

Mockymen by Ian Watsonreviewed by Michael M Jones
What do body-possessing aliens, mind-destroying drugs, Nazi occultism and reincarnation all have in common? They're the
disparate threads of this visionary novel, a truly bizarre tale of life, death, betrayal, and jigsaw puzzles.
It starts out innocently enough, when an aged Norwegian hires a young British couple to make some very specialized jigsaw puzzles, involving
nude pictures of themselves with a certain statuary garden in Oslo.

The Great Escape by Ian Watsonreviewed by Greg L. Johnson
The safe, sure way for a writer to gain an audience is to find something that works, and then keep working it,
expanding your readership without losing your original fans. It's a tried and true method that has been used by many
an SF writer (not to mention more than a few songwriters), and one that it is quite evident this author never
heard of. This collection displays the talents of a writer who is equally at home in,
and brings an individual slant to, science fiction and fantasy, comedy and drama, philosophy and farce.

Judas Payne: A Weird Western by Michael Hemmingson / Webb's Weird Wild West: Tales of Western Horror by Don Webbreviewed by Nathan Brazil
This is very much a book of two halves, being two books in one connected only by basic theme. When one title is read,
flip it over and start a whole new story from the other side. Halves come into play with the lead character
of Judas Payne who is the product of rape by the Devil, and is half-white half-native American, who is in love with his
half-sister, Evangeline.
Flip the book over, and there's Webb's Weird Western Tales of Horror by Don Webb. This is a small
collection of twelve unconnected tales, all with weird twists.

Out of the Dark by David Weberan audiobook review by Dale Darlage
The story begins with an alien survey of Earth in the year 1415. The aliens are exploring and documenting all habitable
planets and rate all inhabited planets on a technology scale.
They find the Earth of 1415 backward technologically but decide to watch some military action in Europe. What
they witness is the Battle of Agincourt between Henry V's England and France -- some of the fiercest fighting
of the Hundred Years War and the site of horrific slaughter. The aliens that witness this slaughter are horrified.

Apocalypse Troll by David Weberreviewed by Peter D. Tillman
25th century humans have been at war with the alien
Kanga for centuries. The Kanga are on the ropes; in desperation they send a battle group
into Terra's past, to cut off the foe at the roots. The Terran Navy is soon in hot pursuit.

Murdered by Human Wolves by Steven E. Wedelreviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Katherine Cross, a good girl from a good home, cannot imagine why her best friend Elise Stone would give herself out of
wedlock to one of the local bad boys. No one likes Luther McGrath, he and his family are looked down upon by the local
people because of rumors attached to him of missing girls, murder, and deviltry. She
discovers that the McGraths are actually werewolves.

Perfect Shadow by Brent Weeksreviewed by Trent Walters
Prominent and alluring courtesan Gwinvere Kirena has had her Chateau Shayon stolen from her, so she hires
Gaelan as an assassin. But that's just the beginning. He will have to kill all five wetboys, the supreme
assassins of the land, and their leader. If she hires him and he succeeds, can he trust that she will not turn on him?

The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeksreviewed by Dominic Cilli
The trilogy is a multi-layered sprawling tale that will keep even the most fickle of readers thoroughly
engaged throughout. The primary storyline tells the story of Azoth/Kylar. He is a young orphaned street-criminal
that has grown up in the seedy part of town known as the Warrens. In order to survive, Azoth becomes embroiled
in the criminal underworld known as the Sa'kage. In order to escape the Warrens, he apprentices with
legendary assassin Durzo Blint.

The Lion Hunter and The Empty Kingdom by Elizabeth E. Weinreviewed by Sherwood SmithThe Lion Hunter picks up just after the events in The Sunbird, in which Telemakos, grandson of Arthur, is
introduced, and becomes a victim of international intrigue. Readers unfamiliar with this novel will find expert back story
painted in at the start of The Lion Hunter as Telemakos challenges himself to overcome the fears he suffered after being
held prisoner, blindfolded and bound, as a result of deadly international politics.

Horror of the 20th Century by Robert Weinbergreviewed by Lisa Brunetta
Collectors take note: this illustrated history of 20th century horror is
really a treat with its heavy, full-colour pages, a fabric-like cover with
an embossed linen texture (red, of course) and a great cover illustration of
Dracula with a hapless victim. The book traces the roots of modern horror to
well before the 20th century, and continues through to the present day. And
there's no shortage of reading material suggestions to keep you going well
into the 21st century.

Mistress of Dragons by Margaret Weisreviewed by Victoria Strauss
Dragons are the superior race, the secret masters of the world. For centuries they've watched the development of humankind,
an upstart species whose odd blend of intelligence and weakness intrigues the dragons. By dragon law, humans are not to be harmed, nor are
dragons to interfere or interact with them. There's just one exception: the Watcher, a dragon who consents to take human form and go among
the humans, keeping watch and reporting back to the Dragon Parliament.

Journey into the Void by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickmanreviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
In this final chapter of the Sovereign Stone trilogy, the journey towards the Portal of the Gods continues as the races of
man, elf, ork and dwarf bring their shards, torn apart by King Tamaros so long ago, to be reunited. Will they reach it before Dagnarus, Lord
of the Void, can catch up with them? It proves to be no easy task as friends are lost and Dagnarus and his army get more powerful with every step.

Guardians of the Lost by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickmanreviewed by Cindy Lynn Speer
Gustav, the human Dominion Lord, has finally found the human race's piece of the Sovereign Stone. As he makes the journey to
return to his lands, he is attacked by a corpse, and is mortally wounded. Before he dies, he is found by a group of three people
who will become the centre of this book: Bashan of the pecwae race, who are a group of small, nimble creatures who would rather
speak to animals than anything else, Jessan, an unproven youth of the Native American-flavored Trevenici warrior tribe,
and Wolfram, a Dwarf. They take Gustav to the pecwae village, but even their best healers can not mend his wounds...

The Soulforge by Margaret Weisreviewed by Wayne MacLaurin
Rastlin is perhaps the single most identifiable character in TSR's immensely popular
Dragonlance series.
This is an engaging look at a character who is much more complex than most,
and a worthy addition to the growing volumes that make up TSR's
Dragonlance universe.

Sewerelf by Dan Weissreviewed by Lisa DuMond
Asher Archer's daughter wants desperately not to grow up. True, the technology to keep her young is there; she can remain
5 years old indefinitely, but it's going to require a mighty effort on Archer's part to obtain the extra time. First, he's going
to have to get them back from a rival company after an extremely hostile takeover that has taken him far away. Fortunately -- or
maybe, unfortunately -- a mysterious face from his past has returned to lend a hand.

Mood Shifts by Dan Weissreviewed by Lisa DuMond
In the Mood Shifts makeover salon, you can change your whole personality.
In this brilliantly shallow vision of the future, no one really knows
what's going on, and hardly anyone cares. Fred Duff cares... or at least he
thinks he does. This novel is a riveting ride through a house of mirrors.
Confusion, lunacy, and subtle threats spring up on every side.

Dawn of a Dark Age by Jane Welchreviewed by William Thompson
Ostensibly the start of a new trilogy, this book is actually
a continuation of the saga begun in the Runespell Trilogy and followed by
The Book of Ond. After a 15-year absence, Spar returns to Belbidia to reclaim his rule of
Torra Alta. With him, he brings in tow a fractious and rebellious son, Rollo, still grieving from the recent
death of his mother and resentful at being forced to leave his native land of Artor. Spar is seeking
closure for his own loss, as well as a fresh start for both himself and his son. But much has changed in
his absence: fell and magical creatures of an earlier time now roam Belbidia, wishing to restore their own
ascendancy over the earth and mankind.

Beyond the Gates by Catherine Wellsreviewed by Steven H Silver
They have cut themselves off from the Unbelievers who reside in the rest of the galaxy except where
they need some essential goods or services. But they find that they must bring an Unbeliever
palaeo-zoologist to the planet to help determine the origin of an animal found in the desert.

Mother Grimm by Catherine Wellsreviewed by Jim Seidman
Here is a perfect example of what happens when an author attempts to
write outside of her area of expertise. Catherine Wells has created an interesting
premise for this story, but is seriously flawed in its execution.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells and The Utopian Vision of H.G. Wells by Justin E.A. Buschreviewed by Paul Kincaid
In 1888, the Science Schools Journal, the magazine of the Normal School of Science, published an incomplete
serial by the journal's founder and former editor, H.G. Wells. The serial was called 'The Chronic Argonauts' and over
the next several years Wells would return to the idea obsessively. The editor of The National Observer
founded a new magazine, The New Review, and commissioned Wells to turn his science articles into a
serial story, and the serial in turn became Wells's first novel, The Time Machine.

The Man Who Could Work Miracles by H.G. Wellsreviewed by Mario Guslandi
H.G. Wells, the well-known author of famous SF novellas such as The War of the Worlds, The
Invisible Man and The Time Machine, was also a prolific writer of supernatural fiction, now assembled for the
first time in this stylish hardcover volume. Mind you, in Wells's body of work the term "supernatural" doesn't always
mean dark, horrific or ghostly.

The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wellsreviewed by David Maddox
Set in England at the beginning of the 20th century, average industrialist
Bedford finds himself entwined in the machinations of Cavor, an eccentric
genius who has developed Cavorite, a substance that negates the pull of
gravity. The two men construct a vessel called the Sphere which hurls them
to the moon. But the adventurers have very different agendas. Cavor hopes to
discover a utopian society he imagines living on the planet, while Bedford
is purely interested in the monetary gain the trip represents.

The Time Machine and War of the Worlds by H.G. Wellsreviewed by Neil Walsh
The author was certainly no Dickens or
Thackeray and, as a science fiction writer, he was no Frank Herbert or
even John Wyndham. However, his work is important to the history of the genre and
it is worth reading a sampling to understand the roots of contemporary science fiction. Imperfect as these two
stories are, they are probably the two best -- both for their historical importance
and for exemplifying the author's style and scope.

American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960-1964 by John Wellsreviewed by D. Douglas Fratz
For most of us born in the 50s, the early 60s was our golden age of discovery, the birth of our sense of wonder. For many,
that meant comic books and science fiction. For those of us now sixty-something, it was a magical and memorable time.
This first volume in a planned series to the entire history of the American comic book, from the 1940s onward,
represents a very promising start to the series. Wells presents
a comprehensive year by year overview of all of the comics published in the 10/12/15/25-cent format. He provides minimal critique
but does provide information on their relative popularity.

The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wellsreviewed by Donna McMahon
Nicholas Valiarde leads a double life. During the day he is the leisured and embittered young heir of Doctor Edouard
Viller, a renowned metaphysician who was executed ten years ago on false charges of necromancy. At night he is Donatien,
master criminal and man of disguises.
Donatien has become the city's foremost thief, but his career is only a cover for Valiarde's real
purpose -- to destroy the evil Count Montesq, the man who destroyed his father.

The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wellsreviewed by Wayne MacLaurin
Mix some Sherlock Holmes with a heavy dose of Steven Brust's
Jhereg and you'll have some idea of what to expect from The Death
of the Necromancer. Wayne's already cast his vote on this book for
most exciting new fantasy novel of the summer!

Dinocalypse Now by Chuck Wendigreviewed by Trent Walters
The author's website usually has 25 tips for writers on various subjects, told in a
no-nonsense tough-guy voice. Plus, how could one
pass up Dinocalypse Now, a 40s-era, pulp-flavored lark with universe hops, Atlantean technology, sentient
chimps, mind-manipulating dinosaurs, and a mad scientist? What's not to like?

L.Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future, Volume XXVI edited by K.D. Wentworthreviewed by Sandra Scholes
Every year budding fantasy and SF writers send in their short stories to be read and
possibly published in the next Writers of the Future volume. Judges, four in all, run their
eyes over the new talent, and offer their own opinion on how good they are and if they are
good enough; the judges in this case are; Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Eric Flint, Dean Wesley
Smith and Mike Resnick. These judges were also winners in previous contests.

Le Morte d'Arthur: An Epic Limerick, Vol I by Jacob Wenzelreviewed by Georges T. Dodds
Sir Thomas Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur is the English language cornerstone of Arthurian lore. However
trying to read the hundreds of pages can sometimes get so involved in deciphering the language that one loses the essentials
of the plot and message. Here, however, we have Mallory retold in modern, slightly colloquial English, in limerick form.

Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werberreviewed by Katharine Mills
If you are the kind of person who won't even go into the bathroom if there's a spider in the
tub -- well, you should be forewarned. This is a buggy book. But it's a fine read. And who
knows, after your intimate glimpse into their world, you might find yourself actually able
to go up to that spider, and gently remove it to a better world outside.